Penholder



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FIFE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

.PLENI-IOLDEB.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Firm, of the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have made certain Improvements in the I-Iolders or Handles of Steel or other Pens; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof.

The object of my improvements is to obviate certain objections which have presented themselves in the using of metallic pens, in all the forms in which they, or the holders or handles prepa-red t0 receive them, have been made. The difficulties which have been experienced in this respect, and which it is the object of my invention to obviate, are principally the following:

The steel pen is apt to write harshly by scoring the paper in making the shades (downward marks) and to run into the paper and spatter in making the fine marks (upward) because it is held at too high an angle with the paper or other material to be written upon, as shown at A in the accompanying drawing. This objection does not exist in a well made quill pen, as from its yieldingnature it bends at the point and naturally assumes a lower angle, as shown at B. The steel pen is apt to make the right side of heavy shades rough, or serrated, owing to the slope or ordinary writing being different from that of the slit of the pen, as shown at D; the pen moves obliquely1 which causes the edges to sink into the paper, and gives a vibra-tory motion to the right prong. This scoring and vibratory motion also causes the pen to wear out sooner and fatigues the hand by requiring more muscular exert-ion in the lingers to force i't in the proper direction. The common round han dle also is objectionable, as it requires too much pressure of the thumb and lingers, their hold of it from its form, being much more slight than on that of the form which I have adopted. To overcome these diiiiculties, the following improvements have been made by me in the pen holder', the handle of which is held in the ordinary manner, while the metallic pen which is held by it is made to assume a lower angle, like that assumed by the point of a quill pen, when it is made to bear upon the paper in the act of writing when making heavy shades. The manner of doing this is shown at C, where the dotted line shows the direction of the split of the pen, making an angle with the 1,345, dated September 28,1839.

line of the back of the handle (a), which angle may be varied within the limits of from three to seven degrees, as may be preferred. The sheath (d), which holds or clips the pen, I attach by soldering or otherwise to a flat curved piece of metal J, which slides through a slot or opening at (m) prepared for that purpose at the lower end of the handle. The piece of metal J is a segment of a circle, whose center is the point of the pen, and in consequence of giving to it this form the point O will not vary its position, while the pen itself may be so placed as to cause the slit to correspond with the slope intended to be given to the downward stroke, as shown at X. The slot or opening in the lower end of the handle through which the segment piece J slides should be made to Spring upon said piece, so as to hold it steadily while it shall slide freely, and it will not then require a tightening screw or other device for retaining it in its place.

The handle of my pen holder I make of such a form that the part where the thumb and middle finger press it in the act of writing shall be nearly flat and broader than in an ordinary handle, while the upper part, where it crosses the fore finger, is smaller and rounded on the right side. This causes it to be held with peculiar ease and steadiness. The flat places pressed by the thumb and middle finger mustl not be parallel, but approach each other on the underside.

In attaching the curved bar J to t-he sheath o-r piece that holds the pen care must be taken that the sheath be placed so that the right prong of the pen shall touch the paper first. This is to make the pen write finer and to prevent the ink from breaking away from the pen, in writing quickly, and making a false mark No scoring need be apprehended from placing the pen in thisY manner in my holder. That is prevented by the split and downward marks being nearly in a line.

Having thus fully described the construction of my pen holder, I do hereby declare, that I do not claim the mere placing of the pen thereon in such a manner as that its slit may correspond with the downward stroke to be made by it, this having been previously done in the manner of constructing some metallic pens; nor do I claim the mere making of provision for changing the degree of Obliquity of the slit, this also having been (lone by means of a joint and a tightening pen will not be thereby removed from its lo screw on the piece 0f metal to which the coincidence With the aXis of the handle, g-

' or with the center of the circle of Which said "What I do claim in this part of my pen curved piece is a segment.

The employment of the segment piece J in pen is attached, but

the mannei1 set forth, by means of which the Witnesses: obliquity of the slit may be easily Varied0 in T. EAKINS, any required degree, While the point of the H. WARNER. j 

